City to get State’s second prison colony

City to get State’s second prison colony

PUNE: The State Prison Department, also called Correctional Services Department, plans to start a prison colony, the second of its kind in the State, for 100 convicts who will be allowed to stay with their families in 1RK flats on the banks of Mula river in Vishrantwadi. 

Also, the capacity of the open jail in Yerwada will be increased to 577 inmates and 11 buildings will be constructed for them. For the first time, beds made of stone will be constructed. 

Additional Director General of Police Sunil Ramanand said, “In order to decongest the prisons we are planning certain steps. The open jail colony and increasing capacity of the open prison, are part of them. We have also proposed to the government to revive the sub-jails located in different parts of the districts. The capacity of the prisons in the state is about 24,000 while there are over 35,000 prisoners currently lodged.” 

The prison colony will be the second after the one set up in Atpadi in Sangli district, called Swatantrapur, in 1939, which went on to inspire the 1957 classic film ‘Do Aankhen Barah Haath’. Swatantrapur has capacity for 28 inmates. 

Speaking about the prison colony being planned in Pune, Superintendent Swati Jogdand from the Prison Department said, “We have earmarked about seven acres land on the bank of Mula river in Vishrantwadi. There will be facility for 100 inmates who will be allowed to stay with their family members in one-room kitchen (1RK) apartment. We will soon send a proposal to the Public Works Department (PWD) for cost estimate before putting the proposal before the State government.” 

DIG (Western Region) Yogesh Desai said the convicts whose conduct is exceptionally good in open prison are allowed to live with their family in the open jail colony, in the last few years of their imprisonment. They are allowed to work and sustain the family in a bid to reintegrate them with society. In Atpadi, the inmates have been allotted two gunthas land to till. 

YERWADA OPEN JAIL TO GET 11 NEW BUILDINGS
Yerwada Open Jail which is situated behind the Yerwada Central jail, houses life sentence prisoners, who have amicably completed five years in the central jail. Here they live under basic security, and are not put in prison cells. Over 150 inmates of the open jail grow organic vegetables, besides doing other work. 

Now the capacity of the open jail will be increased and 11 buildings will be constructed to house about 577 inmates. There will be barracks also wherein few prisoners will be put up. There will be bed 6X3 ft) also for them, made of stone. 

SUB-JAILS TO BE REVIVED
Out of 102 sub-jails in tehsils across the State with a capacity to accommodate 1,670 prisoners, only 54 sub-jails are functioning. Now the Prison Department has proposed to the government to revive them. 

The sub-jail can accommodate up to 30-40 prisoners who have committed petty offences. 

YERWADA JAIL INMATES TO RUN SHOPS
The Yerwada open jail inmates will soon start running three shops including that of hair salon and kirana store.

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